Lynn Beyak

The Honourable
Lynn Beyak
Canadian Senator from Ontario
In office
January 25, 2013 – January 25, 2021
Nominated byStephen Harper
Appointed byDavid Johnston
Succeeded byHassan Yussuff
Personal details
Born
Jean Lynn Smith

(1949-02-18) February 18, 1949 (age 75)
Political partyIndependent (2018–2021)
Other political
affiliations		Conservative (until 2018)
Spouse
Tony Beyak
​
​
(m. 1970; died 2002)​

Jean Lynn Beyak (née Smith; born February 18, 1949) is a retired Canadian politician who represented Ontario in the Senate of Canada from January 25, 2013 to January 25, 2021.[1] Initially appointed to the Senate as a Conservative on the advice of Stephen Harper, she sat as a non-affiliated (independent) senator after being removed from the Conservative caucus in 2017. Beyak was suspended from the Senate twice; a first time for posting letters to her website that were considered to be offensive to First Nations peoples,[2] and a second time for failing to comply with mandated anti-racism training. Beyak announced her retirement from the Senate, effective immediately, on January 25, 2021.[3][4]

  1. ^ "Stephen Harper appoints five new senators". Toronto Star, January 25, 2013.
  2. ^ "Senate votes to suspend Lynn Beyak again despite her apology for posting offensive letters on website | National Post". National Post. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  3. ^ Aiello, Rachel (January 25, 2021). "Sen. Lynn Beyak announces immediate retirement". CTV News. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  4. ^ "Lynn Beyak, senator who defended residential school system, announces retirement". CBC News. January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.